IdN v16n3: Typography Issue — In their own words

It is said that every designer is in love with typography – but some are more so than others. These 11 exponents of the art of the alphabet simply live for letters. See what the big attraction is, how it all started for them, what keeps them interested and where they aim to go from here. And take a sip of the tasty alphabet soup that is their work.

Contents:

Addicted to type
Israel, where living on the edge can be inspirational
Monument to a fashion maverick
Fashioning an ID
Exercise in character-building
It’s a Mad, Mad world

Specifications:

Addicted to type

It is said that every designer is in love with typography – but some are more so than others. These 11 exponents of the art of the alphabet simply live for letters. See what the big attraction is, how it all started for them, what keeps them interested and where they aim to go from here. And take a sip of the tasty alphabet soup that is their work.

Featuring:

Israel, where living on the edge can be inspirational

There is a soft, creative side to this tiny country that dominates the news headlines for all the wrong reasons. The number of talented designers it produces is out of all proportion to its size, but many of them have to go abroad to gain recognition, Immigrants or emigrants, there is a big future ahead for this dynamic creative community.

Monument to a fashion maverick

Cyprus-born fashion designer Hussein Chalayan thinks that almost anything can be worn – and he has proved it with shows featuring ‘portable architecture’ (furniture that he turned into garments), a dress made of aircraft-manufacturing materials, which changed shape by remote control, one consisting of crystals and more than 15,000 LED lights, and another comprising 200 lasers. His idiosyncratic contribution to haute couture over the last 15 years is celebrated in an exhibition at the London Design Museum called ‘Chalayan: A Retrospective Of His Monumental Works – From Fashion and Back’.

Featuring:

Hussein Chalayan

Fashioning an ID

While a logo represents the public face of a brand, its identity is more a matter of the attitudes it stands for. And those with the most pronounced personality tend to be in the fashion biz – a fertile field for those designers who can rise to the challenge. Two who certainly can are UK-based Neighbour and New York’s Li, Inc. They tell us how to cut it in the crazy world of clothing.

Featuring:

Neighbour / Li, Inc.

Exercise in character-building

When the story-line has faded from memory, it is the characters that stick in our minds. That is the case with the output of these three highly animated animators – French-Swiss duo Ben & Julia, Australian director Ben West and South Korean collective Sticky Monster Lab. They all specialize in creating remarkably appealing characters, using very different approaches. And don’t miss our exclusive interviews with them in this issue’s DVD.

Featuring:

Ben & Julia / Ben West / Sticky Monster Lab

It’s a Mad, Mad world

If you were blown away by the visual style of Sin City, then Platinum Games’ latest addition to the world of gung-ho games, MadWorld, should be right up your alley.